Here Comes That Weird Chill

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
IHere Comes That Weird Chill/I could be the album that finally brings Mark Lanegan to the fore. After 17 years' diligent toil at the grunge yoke fronting Seattle rockers the Screaming Trees, Mark Lanegan chose to jump ship, drifting free from the band he'd steered since he was a teenager and letting the tides carry him. Mere months later, he'd washed up as a key touring member of one of rock's most notorious companies, Queens of the Stone Age. It's this band that makes up the key players of this monolithic sixth solo album from Lanegan. With a revolving team of musicians that includes QOTSA's Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri, Masters of Reality's Chris Goss, Ween's Dean Ween, and Greg Dulli (ex-Afghan Whigs, now fronting the Twilight Singers), this is something of an all-star cast. But Lanegan is nothing if not a commanding presence, his grizzled vocal chords, rough as sandpaper and deep as a grave, musing long and hard on love, mortality, narcotic bliss and the inevitable hangover that follows. Grim opener "Methamphetamine Blues" is a hefty slab of deathly psychedelia, marching forth on a violent metallic drum-loop, while a cover of Captain Beefheart's "Clear Spot" is roughshod lo-fi to its super-dense core. But it's the majestic piano lament of "Lexington Slow Down" that suggests Lanegan may still have a seat next to Nick Cave and Tom Waits in the canon of rock's doomed romantics. I--Louis Pattison/I

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2009-01-28 rating:
Haunting Scraps
Mark Lanegan, in my opinion, can do no wrong. Having heard all he's come out with and owning most of it, I am of course quite biased; but the point of this review is to convey my opinion, no? So, here is all the praise I can muster for this gem of a disc... br / br /Being a collection of rarities this was never intended to have a cohesive 'album' feel - it doesn't flow as well as other Mark Lanegan records do. However, this works to the listener's advantage, if you think about it... whether intended as such or not, you get more of a feel for the scope of Mark's work listening to this CD. It's like, he's saying "here's one sort of music" and then "here's another!" all the while showcasing his immense talent as both a vocalist and songwriter. You're taken on a rollercoaster ride of styles and even genres, and you simply don't get that with his albums (well, up til Bubblegum anyway). br / br /Also, if you're relatively new to Lanegan (as I was when I got H.C.T.W.C.) it'll be quite astonishing that these are songs he chose NOT to put on an album, save for Meth Blues, and you immediately get an idea that his main body of work must really be something special. br / br /Now, a handful of the best songs: Methamphetamine Blues is a vast departure for Mark in terms of style: industrial drum machines and noise-influenced guitar work perfectly with the lower end of Mark's register, very gruff stuff and clearly a by-product of his tenure in Queens of the Stone Age. br / br /Clear Spot is a cover of Captain Beefheart from the record of the same name. Whilst not being as downright mad as the Beefheart original it still conveys the quirkiness of the Cap'n and his band of magical folks impeccably. br / br /Lexington Slow Down is as sombre as you're likely to hear Lanegan get, a piano-and-voice led song about his time incarcerated at Lexington (or so I am led to believe). There is a twinkling piano melody that manages to convey the feeling of a glimmer of hopefulness in the depths of a deep, dark despair, and when Mark sings "Ooooooooooooh, just to slow down" he REALLY puts his all into it: you get the feeling that these are songs that he has really lived, and that live inside of him, and that making music based upon his demons is the fleeting relief awarded to a man of his genius. br / br /That's what's conveyed by this body of work: a tormented soul who can only tell you of his grief through music - entertaining us, yet reinforcing his inner darkness. God I worship the guy (as if you couldnt tell!)

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review by: date: 2007-06-29 rating:
mood piece
I've had these record for a while now, but I think this is the first time I've had anything to say about it. At least, I thought I had something to say about it when I was listening to it just now. It's uh... I guess, a strange kind of album/EP/whatever the hell it is. And really, it's a mood piece. None of these songs are catchy or really let loose and rock... they all kind of... plod, meander, trudge if you will. They're muddy, oppressive and kind of loose. You can see right there though, in those last two sentences that this record inspires the use of words that aren't normally associated with music. And that is what's good about this album. Whatever you can say about it, it is different. br / br /Lanegan's vocal is soulful and gravelly, as usual but on some parts he makes me wonder whether he's putting it on. Especially on "Lexington Slow Down" where he sings, "I don't mind being stoned/ They tell me Jesus was". I thought that song was one of the highlights, but it's not. "Message to Mine" is the highlight. br / br /I think I'm meandering a bit here. Allow me to sum up. I don't think I'm going to add any more Screaming Trees albums to my meagre collection - I've got "Dust", and having heard "Sweet Oblivion", I figure it's the only one I need - and anything else from the grunge era is RIGHT out, though I used to live for that stuff. However, I will give Lanegan another go. I wouldn't mind hearing something a bit more country tinged. br / br /So will this review be of any use to anyone? I doubt it. Most people who buy this album, or consider doing so, probably know more of Lanegan's recent work than I do. So let's just say "it's an interesting piece of work". But I don't think it's going to make heavy rotation on many people's stereos. br / br /*** just for the Screaming Trees fans: I also have Uncle Anaesthesia and the Other Worlds EP, so I think I'm educated enough to make the earlier decision about the Trees. I saw them live too.

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review by: date: 2004-01-15 rating:
Sack The Producer
Lanegan's move into stranger territory is only partially successful. The industrial racket of Methamphetamine Blues is a rich surprise that bodes well, in spite of the Bruce Dickinson style laughter at the start. Clear Spot is a chunky reworking of the Beefheart original and both Message To Mine and Skeletal History are the chilly masterpieces we expect from the man. The rest is fairly throwaway, and the overall sound is spoiled by a mystifying over-reliance on wibbly ill-advised keyboard noises. Lexington Slow Down is painfully poor and the finale sees Lanegan 'toasting' over a dubby reworking of Sleep With Me, which is bad. Five and a half albums into his solo life and he has yet to surpass the majestical 'Holy Ghost.'

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review by: date: 2003-12-09 rating:
New Sound! Same Brilliance!
I am of the opinion that everything this man touches turns to gold. Once a member of the now no-more Screaming Trees who were one of the most underrated Seattle bands around (certainly the most soulful), Mark then advanced his career via his solo records and made music on a scale that the Trees always tried to reach (my opinion of course). After the Bluesy/Folky mainly acoustic solo outings Mark became a member of Queens of the Stone Age and added that extra dimension to an already good rock band.pSo, here....now....in 2003....Mark finds himself releasing an EP length collection of songs as a taster for the upcoming 'Bubblegum' record. The first thing that is apparent is the instrumentation on the record, the opening track breaks out with a clanky industrial vibe followed by a slightly distorted voice (and what a voice) closely followed by a second track that could almost be spoken word if not for the fact that a separate recording of Marks voice lulls in the background going along to the old hymn 'He's Got The Whole World In His Hand' and a nice guitar rhythm.pThe rest of the record offers a selection of tracks with either industrial beats and/or sleazy guitar rhythms. The songs are not instantly accessible, but if you want 'pop' then you wouldn't be reading this review in the first place. Nevertheless, the songs were implanted in my mind after the second play of the disc and i keep coming back to it.pLike all good artist's Mark has realised he needs to change direction in order to keep afloat and like all good artist's he has done it with style. At the price it is selling for I recommend you pick up a copy and experience well written, well played, diverse and challenging music and if you like it you might want to try the pick of his solo material: I'll Take Care Of You and Scraps At Midnight (again, my opinion).pA Victory For Music!pAlso, the track "Lexington Slowdown"....................a beautiful 'haunted piano' gem of a song!


review by: TSJ date: 2003-11-28 rating:
I may be biased...
Having loved every single one of his recordings (from Screaming Trees and QotSA, to Mad Season and solo offerings), I may not be the best person to give a subjective review of this EP.brBut I'm going to, because I just have to say how superb it is. He's dropped his country/grunge sound (almost sad to hear it go, but I guess we got 5 albums of it out of the man) for something a bit different - almost a cross of Tom Waits, early Springsteen (something about Lexington Slowdown reminds me of very early Boss) and, well, I think I have to go with the now made obvious link and say Beefheart.brLanegan's voice is as seminal as any fo the above mentioned artists, as in my opinion (and remembering I'm a big Waits and Beefheart fan) is his discography so far.brWell worth at least checking out, if you don't end up buying a copy for yourself and everyone you know.

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